About the Chapbook as an Art Form

Though we are a small press with fairly limited resources, we are devoted to producing striking and elegant (when appropriate to the subject matter) chapbooks, and we keep them in print. We feel that we run one of the classier chapbook operations around. (The Wick Poetry Program through Kent State University runs a series of chapbooks that we envy.)

Typically, a chapbook consists of between 18-48 pages of poetry (or fiction, or whatever). The chapbook is an old and intimate form. The material available in a chapbook is usually digestible in one sitting, is a smaller constellation of art.

Many, many of our writers go on to include many of the poems from their chapbooks in future book-length projects.

We do two sorts of chapbooks: previous to 2007, we offset-printed chapbooks with one-color covers on elegant paper, usually some sort of laid cardstock (we were fond of the camel hair coloring). Newer chapbooks are perfect-bound, digitially-printed, and feature four-color covers. (See all these on the Ordering page.)

Design is an important element to us, and we work with our authors on cover art and design.

Let us also add a word about promotion. Like many small presses, our resources are limited. We send out review copies, do occasional ads, and have a good track record of getting our chapbooks reviewed or promoted on websites like Verse Daily and Poetry Daily. If you're a reviewer, contact us and we're happy to send out review copies.